Late Night Musings
by MzDany
Summary: The muse is bombarding me with slash ideas, so here is the beginning of a small collection of separate oneshots mostly centering around my favorite couple, Cam and Hunter. I might add on more drabbles as my brain pumps them out.
1. Late Night Musings

A/N: My first attempt at POV narrative.  
Some thoughts from Hunter's POV… this ficlet popped into my head after reading AngelMouse5's 'Really' series and refused to get out, so what's a writer to do?  
Thanks Mouse :)  
But, of course, this being me - it's slash Cam/Hunter!

**Late night musings  
By Dany  
****Rated R (just to be sure)**

_  
Darkness, quiet,…utter peace._

Right now, in this bed at this very moment, I think I'm as close as I can get to being completely content.

Warm and comfortable, Cam's fingers intertwined with mine, his body spooned up against my back…we fit together like a pair of gloves. Like it was always meant to be this way. No need for me to even turn my head; his sleeping face is burned into my mind for I've watched him sleep countless times. So I just lie here, holding on to his hand and grinning into the darkness like an idiot, for I am happy, genuinely happy.

At first, I actually had to get used to someone sleeping next to me, and I'm sure he did, too. But now, after spending almost every night together for the past few months, I wouldn't want it any other way. Sometimes it still amazes me that we're actually together. But how does the saying go? _Good things come to those who wait_. Well, the waiting was hard, but it was definitely worth it!

I know I had to give Cam as much time as he needed to come to terms with his feelings about being with another man. And I am the first man he's been in a relationship with.

It was hard keeping my feelings for him bottled up for fear he might bolt if I told him I loved him. So it took quite a while until I felt safe enough to say it at last. Not that I was sure about it myself right from the start. No, that realization came gradually. I'm not very experienced when it comes to love. Sure, I love my parents, God rest their souls, and Blake, but they are family.

Blake. My other half. My little brother in every sense but the visual. And boy, are we different in appearance. Like yin and yang. And that's exactly why we compliment each other so well.

It always cracks me up how people react when we introduce ourselves as brothers. Then we have to go into the whole adoption spiel, etc. Never fails. I'm glad Blake's the talkative half of us, because I sure as hell wouldn't go through the trouble of explaining our family relations every time. But that's just him; outgoing, charming, always ready to help. As for me…well, I'm still the brooding one, I guess, but thanks to a certain someone right next to me, I think I've lightened up somewhat.

Damn, I miss Blake, but I know he's happy touring the country with Factory Blue, tearing up the tracks and raking in racing trophies.

But it would be so much harder for me to cope with him being gone if it weren't for Cam.

I take a breath – and smile as something tickles my nose. It's faint, but the scent of sex is still in the air. Normally it's me who's out like a light afterwards, but I guess Cam's had a long day at the Wind Academy. They are still short on teachers, and Cam's taken on way too many classes. Poor guy didn't last two minutes after I properly 'tucked him in' for the night. But for some reason, sleep's not claiming me tonight, so my mind is wandering…back to when I walked into his room a few hours ago. Back to the moment that led to the two of us curled up with each other right now, spent and blissful.

He was so wrapped up in his practice that he didn't even notice me at first.

Watching Cam perform a kata is one of the best kinds of foreplay there is. The intense concentration on his face, the way his muscles strain with every turn, the fluidity and grace of his movements – poetry in motion. Depending on which kata he chooses, the exercise can take anywhere from a few minutes to half an hour, but I'm usually totally turned on after only a minute or two of watching him. Not that I would ever interrupt him, though; that's just not done. So I watch - and wait. And I have to admit, the forced restraint holds its own…pleasure. So as I sit and watch but not touch, neither him nor myself, I envision what's to come once he is finished. And when he is, and he plops down next to me onto the mattress, I reach for him and he smiles, knowing that I'm ready, so ready to put into reality everything that I had pictured while watching him.

Having Cam as a friend is great; having him as a lover is even better, though. Things were awkward for him at first, when our relationship turned physical. But once we got past that, a whole new side of him emerged; sensual, enthusiastic about learning and trying new things, not to mention incredibly affectionate.

It's a side of him that he allows no one else but me to see, and that makes me feel damn special.

I'm proud, real proud to call myself his partner. Cam Watanabe – ultracompetent tech wizard, ex-Power Ranger, head teacher of the Wind Academy. To have a man like him love a guy like me - Definitely strokes the ego!

But right now I wouldn't mind someone else stroking _something_ else. I move, wiggle my butt experimentally – and get a silent nudge in response. Cam is awake, so I abandon my comfortable side position and roll onto my back. Two slanted brown eyes look at me, that sensual mouth smiles and I smile back. Then Cam reaches for me.

There are times when we don't need any words to communicate.

Life is good.

THE END


	2. Beach Talk

**A/N: Cam/Hunter slash! You've been warned. **

**Beach Talk  
****By Dany  
****PG-13**

Hunter heaved a deep sigh of utter contentment. What a perfect day!

Hands behind his head, lazily stretched out on the sand, he looked up into a cloudless sky while a slight ocean breeze caressed his face.

He felt movement next to him and cracked open an eyelid to find that Cam had sat up and was now staring over the glistening water with narrowed eyes – and Hunter didn't think that it was because of the sunlight. Undoubtedly, his partner was in one of his 'deep thought' modes again.

Cam proved him right when he scooped up a fistful of sand, letting the grains slowly run through his fingers. "You know," he said, eyes fixed on the steady trickle streaming from his hand, "astrologers say that there are more stars in the universe than there are grains of sand on all the beaches of this world combined."

An unexpected shiver ran through Hunter, and it took the Thunder Ranger a moment to realize just why this seemingly innocent statement suddenly made his blood run cold. Then it hit him. "That would normally impress me to no end," he murmured, "but after what we've seen and fought this past year…" He sat up and ran a hand through his unkempt dirty-blond hair. "Only shows me that there's an infinite amount of possible evil still out there." He frowned. "Way too much alien manpower for Lothor to recruit."

Cam shot Hunter an amazed look. For the Thunder ninja, that was a pretty deep and insightful statement. Hunter felt the look, turned his head and grinned his trademark lopsided smirk.

"Let's just hope they won't find our neck of the galaxy, because I've got better things to do with my time than to kick endless alien butt all over this planet."

Now that sounded more like the old Hunter. Cam returned his boyfriend's grin.

"You do? Like what?"

"There are a few things…" Hunter said suggestively

"Yeah, I can imagine how driving in circles and getting splashed with mud from head to toe would be so much more fun than ridding the world of evil," Cam said sarcastically, but Hunter shook his head with a small laugh and leaned closer.

"I wasn't talking about motocross."

Cam made no move to pull away; instead he kept a straight face, and asked innocently, "What _were _you talking about, then?"

From the sparkle in Cam's eyes, the samurai already seemed to have a pretty good idea, but Hunter decided to milk the unspoken invitation for all it was worth.

"Lemme show you…"

He pushed Cam down onto the sand, leaning over him and captured his mouth in a deep kiss.

THE END

A/N: CamFan4ever put such a nice dedication on the latest chapter of her "Sparring" series for me that this is a little present to her in return. :)


	3. How did you know?

_A/N: Okay, so this is technically not slash, since there's nothing else but talking going on, but it deals with the Hunter/Cam subject, and that's good enough for me._

**How did you know?  
****By Dany  
****Rated G**

Summary: In the aftermath of "I love Lothor" Cam is trying to apologize to Tori, but the conversation leads to some things he didn't think she knew…

Tori leaned slightly into the oncoming wave in order to keep her balance on her board. It was a perfect day, not too hot, just the right breeze to whip up some awesome waves…She let out a content sigh as warm ocean breath caressed her face. After yesterday's string of chaotic events she needed this break badly. That stupid love spell, Blake and Cam's ridiculous bickering and fighting over her, not to mention their silly presents! At first it had been amusing, even flattering – their puppy dog eyes, the way they had doted on her, showering her with attention…but it had quickly turned ugly when the fighting began.

_Thunder-Samurai duel…_She shook her head at that memory.

Yes, she definitely needed some good surfing after all that.

Tori shifted, picking up speed, then bent her torso while riding the underside of a particularly large wave. She closed her eyes as a salty spray of water hit her face…and caught a glimpse of green on the beach when she opened them again.

_Cam? What was **he** doing here?_

Tori knew Cam well enough to know that he wasn't just out for a leisurely stroll along the beach; the gang normally had a hard enough time getting him out of Ninja Ops for anything that didn't involve an alien monster fight.

The Water ninja rode the wave out until it gently dumped her onto shore, then picked up her board and jogged towards where he was standing a few yards further up the beach next to her towel and beach bag.

Gentleman that he was, he held out the towel for her, his face unreadable. _But then again it usually is_, Tori mused as she dropped her board and nodded her thanks while toweling off. "Hi Cam, what's driving _you _out here?"

Cam shrugged, trying to make it look nonchalant. "It's a beautiful day, why shouldn't I be out?" he said with an innocent grin. Tori gave him a wry look. "Because California has an average of 350 beautiful days a year and so far you've never given a hoot about any of them," she countered and Cam half-snorted, half-laughed.

"All right, point for you." His merriment, however, was short-lived. "Truth is, I…" He met her gaze and there was something in his eyes Tori could only describe as awkwardness. "I wanted to apologize."

Tori's brows furrowed in confusion. "Apologize? For what?" she asked, while she spread out the towel, plopped down onto it and patted the spot next to her in silent invitation. Cam sat beside her, careful to avoid any wet spots. He pulled up his knees Indian-style and leaned forward, elbows resting on his thighs.

"I still can't believe the way I acted yesterday," he said, shaking his head in emphasis, "and I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am for everything. I mean…Christ, you got hurt out there because of me - well, ok, _Blake and me_ - and it could have turned out worse if the others hadn't shown up…" He waived his hands in a frustrated gesture, then let them fall back onto his thighs, exhaling audibly in the process. He looked downright miserable, and Tori's heart went out to him.

"It was a spell, Cam," she said, putting some conviction into her voice. "There was no fault on either yours or Blake's part. Matter of fact, the only one I'm mad at about this whole thing is Lothor."

Cam wasn't consoled that easily. "But _I _of all people should have realized that something was wrong, Tori," he exclaimed. "I should have…"

"Apology accepted, Cam," Tori cut him off with an affectionate smile and a pat on his shoulder. "Not that you needed to apologize in the first place. Like I said: It was a spell, after all. So let's just forget about it, okay"

She could see Cam's shoulders relax as the pent-up tension left him, and his mouth formed into a small smile. "Thanks, Tori."

And for a little while the Blue and the Green Ranger sat quietly, both looking out over the gently lapping waves – until Tori broke the silence.

"But I don't think it's me you should be apologizing to."

Now Cam's relieved grin turned into a puzzled frown. "What do you mean? I've already had a talk with Blake and…"

"I'm not talking about Blake, Cam." Tori took a deep breath; she wasn't sure how Cam would react to her next words, but there was no going back now. "I think Hunter could really use some reassurance from you. He's trying not to show it, but he's been pretty confused and upset since this whole thing began, you know?"

Apart from the brief widening of his eyes and the twitch of a muscle in his cheek, Cam's face stayed expressionless. "Hunter?" he asked innocently. "What does he have to do…"

But Tori just looked at him with her eyebrows raised in a knowing gesture. Sometimes looks could relay things better than words. Cam stared at her for a moment longer, then his gaze drifted back towards the ocean. Tori waited, giving him time to formulate a response. Finally, after a long minute, he said, "How did you know?"

"Just intuition, I guess," she replied softly.

When he turned back to her, his almond eyes were clouded by anxiety. "The others…"

But Tori quickly silenced him with a dismissive wave of her hand and a reassuring smile. "No need to worry about the others, Cam. They are teenage boys. They recognize when they're hungry, tired – and when somebody is making fun of their skateboarding or motocross skills. Other than that, they're all pretty much oblivious."

"But you're not," Cam said flatly. Tori grinned and shrugged casually.

"I'm a girl," was all she said, and this actually, in a strange way, made sense to Cam. Apart from him, Tori had always been the most levelheaded of their group. Not prone to jump into action like Dustin and Shane, not overly wary like Hunter, and certainly not too easily distracted like Blake – even though that was easy for her, being that the biggest source for the Navy Ranger's distractions _was _Tori - so yes, it did make sense that the Water ninja would be the only one who had picked up on their carefully concealed affection so far. Cam briefly wondered how long she had suspected something about them. At the same time, he was grateful for Tori's discretion; she seemed to simply accept them as being more than friends, no further questions asked, and that was one of the many qualities that made the blonde ninja such an important friend for Cam.

And that friend just broke through his train of thought by nudging his shoulder lightly with hers. "Tell you what…Blake sooo owes me dinner for this whole mess, and since we were planning on trying out that new Italian place that opened just down the street from Storm Chargers…" her eyes sparkled with girlish excitement. "We could double-date! How about tonight?"

"Whoah, I…uhm," Cam scratched the back of his neck, visibly uncomfortable. "Don't take this wrong, Tori, but I don't think I'm ready for something like this yet. I mean, Hunter and I haven't even gotten to the point of formally going out for dinner with just _each other_ yet." He shrugged. "Well, if you don't count hanging out in fast food joints, that is." He have her a side-glance, trying to gauge her reaction and was immensely relieved when he saw understanding in her eyes.

"It's ok, Cam," she said, nodding. "You two need to go at your own pace and I certainly don't want to push you into something that might turn awkward for you."

"Thanks, Tori," he said for the second time within the last few minutes. Then he cocked his head. "Maybe sometime down the road we'll take you up on that offer, when things are a little…clearer between us, you know?"

Tori simply nodded, smiling sweetly. Several pairs of seagulls suddenly broke the silence of the beach by flying low over the glistening water, their wings flapping sharply, obviously on the lookout for food. Cam followed their flight path with his eyes, but the faraway look in his gaze told Tori that he probably wasn't even really aware of the birds. Then his head snapped around and his shoulders squared. "You know what? You're right," he said, looking quite determined all of a sudden. "I do owe Hunter an apology. Should have done that yesterday. I don't even know why I didn't…" He moved to get up. "I better get going."

She rose with him, grabbing her towel in the process. "Wait, I'll come with you. I have to get back home anyways. Big math test tomorrow and I haven't even started studying for it yet. I'll drop you off at Ops, okay?"

"All right." He gave her a smile as he slung her beach bag over his shoulder while she gathered up her surfboard, and together they made their way towards her van. They had only covered a few feet when Tori turned, addressing his profile. "Listen, if you ever need anyone to go shopping for clothes with you once the big dinner date finally _does_ come around…"

Cam let out an amused snort and even though he kept looking straight ahead, Tori couldn't help but grin at the way he rolled his eyes in mock exasperation. "What? I'm just saying that I think you would look really good in a dark red shirt…"

**THE END**


	4. Subtle changes

_A/N: I was reading over my one Shane/Dustin fic "Revelations" today and determined that I couldn't leave poor Dustin hanging like that._

**Subtle changes  
****By Dany  
****PG-13**

Summary: Sequel to "Revelations". Dustin's POV. A few weeks later… (slash Dustin/Shane)

Today was the day that everything changed. Again.

I'm leaning against the wall of Storm Charger's storeroom, breathing deeply to try to calm my racing heart. I press the palms of my hands against the cool plaster behind me to keep them from shaking. All because of Shane. Who had just kissed me. Hard. And this time it was no accident.

It's been almost a month since that unplanned kiss at his place, the kiss that started this whole thing. Back then, when it happened, I was mortified what his reaction would be – especially when I finally confessed my feelings about him in the aftermath. I was so relieved when he had seemed cool about it. And then that second kiss was an absolute bonus, something I had never expected. Afterwards, when he said he couldn't give me any guarantees, I totally understood, and we had gone on like we always had – as best buddies. Hanging out with each other and the rest of the gang, joking, teasing, fighting side by side…we just never talked about those kisses anymore.

Doesn't mean that I haven't been thinking about them, though. Sometimes I would do more than just dream about them, but that's my business in the privacy of my room at night. Something I would never tell anyone, especially not _him. _

So up until now I was just thankful not to have lost his friendship and I probably could have lived with him not being more than my _'bro'_ – if it hadn't been for the subtle changes I began to notice lately. Nothing major, of course, only little things like him getting more protective of me during battles or standing closer to me whenever we were in the same room together.

We've always been pretty physical with each other, things like hugging, backslapping or just being close, and after my revelation to him he had retreated from all that for a while. Now he was back – and more receptive to touching me than ever, I think. At first I had thought I was just imagining it, but no, his 'casual' touches had definitely gotten more frequent – and longer. He was quicker to grin at me, too and I've also noticed that the looks he's been giving me lately had gotten longer as well.

_Something_ was changing here – but I couldn't let the hope ignite in me again. Can't set myself up for possible heartbreak again. So I had simply gone on treating him like I always had. It was hard, though, acting like I didn't notice anything.

Today he had shown up at the shop as usual, skateboard under his arm, still dusty and kinda sweaty from his practice. We went through the same routine we always do – him plopping onto the couch, me complaining about him getting the sofa dirty and how Kelly's going to kick him out because of that one day…

Those brown eyes had fixed on me and when he gave me his usual 'so what' grin, they had sparkled with something other than mere amusement. And he hadn't looked away, either. Had held my gaze so long that I started getting kind of uncomfortable, actually. And when the butterflies in my stomach started, I mumbled something about re-stocking some shelves and fled towards the storage room. There I stood for a few moments, simply breathing and trying to get some composure back. I was picking through some random motorcycle gear that didn't need even need to be displayed outside when I heard his footsteps. Automatically, I went into my _buddy_ mode, tossing him a lopsided grin over my shoulder.

"So, are you still coming over later to help me study for biology, dude?" I asked in my most casual voice.

He didn't reply; just continued to watch me with that strange look in his eyes, and suddenly I recognized it for what it was – heat. He took a few steps towards me and I dropped whatever it was I was holding. His eyes were mesmerizing and I simply couldn't look away. And then he was close, closer than he had ever been, closer even than during our second kiss. I dimly realized I was pressed up against the wall, gazing into his handsome face, not even making any attempts at fake protests as he placed one hand against the wall next to my head and the other onto my hip. His touch seemed as hot as his gaze as he wordlessly leaned in and pressed his lips onto mine. It took all my 'inner ninja' resolve to remain upright as the butterflies inside me went into full flight and my knees began to shake. Then, somehow, my hands were around his hips, grasping the fabric of his shirt and pulling him closer. His kiss was gentle, yet insistent and it sent an instant surge of fire through my veins together with a sudden revelation that made me groan into his mouth with joy; all the longer looks, the increased touches, the closeness of the past few days – Shane had made up his mind. He was ready and willing to take the next step and give us a try.

I fought against the urge to pull him so close that not even a nail file could fit between us and plunge my tongue into his mouth. But Shane took care of that need for me when suddenly his own tongue snaked out to glide across my upper lip. I opened up more than willingly and the first contact of our tongues was sheer bliss. I have no idea how long we stayed locked together like this but when we finally pulled apart I was lightheaded in a way that had nothing to do with mere oxygen depravation. Shane's eyes were burning straight into me, his chest heaving as badly as mine. He got his breath back quicker than me, though, for his mouth suddenly split into an impish grin.

"I'll be there," was all he said hoarsely before he gave me another quick kiss, turned and walked back out without another word.

So here I am now, standing in the storeroom, bewildered, flushed – and looking very much forward to our studying session later on. Biology indeed – but why am I so sure that we won't be opening any books for this?

THE END


	5. Persistence

_A/N: This is the answer to CamFan's challenge from a few weeks ago. Now I have to warn you, Dannie, and everyone else…this is not very good!  
But with this particular pairing, it's hard to come up with something halfway believable, so this is unfortunately only pre-slash…_

_This is an 'un-scene' from "Return of Thunder 4". It was the only scene I could find where 'they' came even close to something like flirting…_

**Persistence  
**By Dany  
PG-13

"This is so frustrating!"

Cam's exasperated exclamation was enough to make Shane pause in his attempt to try a strictly forbidden skateboard flip onto the command table. The Red Ranger strode towards the supercomputer where the green-clad technician was just leaning back in his chair, rubbing the bridge of his nose under his glasses. On the huge screen was a rotating 3D display of the Thunder Megazord. One part was blinking continuously from a separate window. Obviously, this was the object of Cam's current irritation.

Shane crouched by the older youth's left side, instinctively drawing closer to him as he peered at the image. "Found something that you can't figure out?"

He didn't need to divert his eyes from the screen to know Cam's disapproving glance was on him. It didn't quite keep the mischievous grin off his face, though.

"No," came the prompt retort from the right. "It's just that I keep coming up with this non-functional retrofit." Cam pointed at the screen. "This piece just doesn't seem to fit _anywhere_." Sensei's son ran a hand through his hair. "I just wish I knew what it did," he mumbled to himself and Shane just couldn't let this perfect opportunity slip by.

"But…wouldn't that be considered something that you can't figure out?"

Cam slowly turned his head, giving the smugly grinning Red Ranger his wryest look. He knew he should at least be extremely irritated at the Air ninja's attempt at mocking his skills, but for some reason he couldn't quite work up the inner conviction. _Just another teasing._.. he was getting used to them, especially since that seemed to be Shane's current hobby -_Tease thetech_ _guy_.

Shane was so close that Cam could smell the leather of his training uniform mixed with something else he could only identify as _Shane-ness_. Not unpleasant, strangely enough…

Unfortunately, before he could fire off a snappy reply, the warning klaxons abruptly blared though the underground command room. All bantering instantly forgotten, Cam called up the source of the alarm.

"It's Chooboo," he exclaimed, brows furrowed in apprehension. "And it looks like he's captured Blake and Hunter."

Shane jumped up, squeezing Cam's shoulder. "On it!"

The Red Ranger took his customary position between Tori and Dustin. A moment later they were morphed and out the door, on their way to battle yet another one of Lothor's generals.

Cam was left behind to monitor the battle. As he swiveled back towards the screen, he could for some strange reason still feel Shane's hand on his shoulder. _Nothing special about it,_ he thought, _just a harmless squeeze – a purely instinctual reaction on Shane's part._

Nevertheless, it took him a moment to re-arrange his thoughts and focus on the fight playing out on the monitor.

----

The battle was long, brutal and took a surprising turn when halfway through combat, Cam – in a flash of genius – figured out that the spare part tucked away inside the Thunder Megazord was indeed a device meant to combine the two Ranger Zords into the enormous Thunderstorm Megazord. This awesome machine proved too powerful for Chooboo, and consequently, the green alien was quickly disposed of. He exploded in a fireball to the cheers of three Wind and two Thunder Rangers – and Cam.

Afterwards, a second reason for cheers ensued when Blake and Hunter finally agreed to join the Wind ninjas' team. During the celebratory round of embraces, Cam suddenly found himself on the receiving side of a bear hug from Shane – which the Red Ranger kept up just a tad bit longer than necessary. It went unnoticed by anyone – except Cam.

Later, Tori agreed to take Dustin, Blake and Hunter into town with her van, for Dustin was hoping to be able to put in a good word with Kelly to get the Bradleys hooked up with some low-paying but respectable employment at Storm Chargers. As the small procession of teens filed out of Ninja Ops, Cam breathed a sigh of relief at the ensuing silence. He turned back to the supercomputer, pulling up the specs on the Thunder Megazord yet again. Although the mystery of the extra part was now solved, there was still much work to be done for him. Now that the Storm and Thunder Megazords were able to combine, he needed to familiarize himself with every nuance of the new Thunderstorm Megazord.

The quiet and uninterrupted peace lasted for about a minute before he heard the unwelcome thumping of boots bounding down the stone steps and into the command room. Cam neither turned nor paused in his work, hoping that whoever it was took his frantic typing as a hint and left again.

No such luck. The footsteps were drawing closer until he sensed a presence right behind him. A moment later, a face appeared at the periphery of his vision. Cam sighed, turned his head to the left – and found himself looking into Shane's brown eyes.

"How come you didn't go into town with them?" he asked the Red Ranger.

Shane shrugged. "Because after a 5-0 vote, it fell to me to convince you to come and join us all at Pizza Planet in about an hour." The Air ninja raised his hand in an imaginary toast, grinning. "We're celebrating the addition of our two new team members."

"You voted for yourself?" Cam asked with a wry look.

"Yeah, so?" Shane replied innocently, although there was a strange look in his eyes that Cam couldn't quite place.

He decided not to pursue it, opting instead for a mumbled, "Well, have fun celebrating, then."

Unfortunately, Shane wasn't having it. "Sorry, I have strict orders to bring you, too."

Cam took pains to sound exasperated. "I don't have time to party, Shane. Somebody has to take care of your guys' equipment." He moved to swivel back towards his computer, but Shane's hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"Don't you ever take a break, man?"

Cam turned back to his computer, Shane's hand still lodged onto his shoulder. "If I did, you guys wouldn't last very long in the next battle."

"Aw, come on, dude, it can wait until tomorrow," Shane declared. "Otherwise Tori will hit me, and she hits pretty damn hard."

Cam jabbed his thumb over his shoulder. "Well, you know where the First Aid kit is – get yourself some supplies before you leave."

Shane took his hand off Cam's shoulder to consult his wrist watch. "All right, you want to play hard-ass…I have one hour to work on you, so I'll just sit here and nag you until you agree to come along." He promptly propped his hip onto the computer console, crossed his arms and smirked down at the green-clad technician.

"Or until I throw you out." Cam didn't have to try too hard to produce a genuine glare, but unfortunately, Shane didn't seem fazed.

"Try me; I could use a good sparring session."

Cam shook his head to himself, but something about Shane's insistence to include him in their group outing touched him for some reason. He looked up, finding the Red Ranger's eyes studying him expectantly. Shane wasn't right up in his face, but his eyes were intense nevertheless – not to mention that they were also a very nice shade of chocolate-brown…

_Whoa, where did that just come from?_ Cam blinked, fought the urge to dislodge that disturbing thought from out of his head by means of some forceful shaking and instead quickly transferred his gaze back to the oversized computer screen, frantically thinking of something, _anything_ to say while pretending to still be interested in the images on the screen – not to mention looking nonchalant.

"Look, I have a lot of work to do here. And besides, it's 93 degrees outside and I'm not about to risk my creamy complexion with third degree sunburns." He couldn't help himself but add, "Something _you_ don't have to worry about."

Shane merely gave him a cheeky grin. "Cave-dweller."

"Skateboard-poser."

Deeming the conversation and the exchange of complimentsconcluded, Cam resumed his typing with renewed vigor and after a moment, Shane finally held his hands up in defeat, although the grin remained in the corners of his mouth. "All right, fine. I'll just be over there, then…" he pointed to the far side of the command room. "…working on some _extra-posing_ skateboard moves and practicing that song I have in mind for 'Totally Talented' next week. Got an hour to kill before I have to be at the pizza place, after all."

He pushed away from the console, already humming a melody, and made his way to where his board was propped against the wall by the entrance.

Cam had not the slightest doubt that the Red Ranger would be using every last one of the next sixty minutes bouncing around Ninja Ops extra noisily, deliberately singing off-key the entire time.

Now faced with a dilemma, Cam had a decision to make: stoically suffer through Shane's crooning and skateboard clattering, or endure sitting next to him at the pizza parlor for a few hours – which for some reason he really couldn't bring himself to think of as _enduring_ after all…

With an exaggerated sigh, Cam pushed his chair back. "All right, all right, you win." He almost grinned when he saw Shane's face light up with a victorious smile, but managed to keep his scowling expression firmly in place. He had a certain reputation to uphold, after all.

Shane grabbed his board and motioned towards the exit. "Cool. Let's go, then."

"Now?" Cam asked bewildered. "I thought we didn't have to be there until an hour from now…"

Shane pulled him fully out of his chair and slung an arm around his shoulder while steering him towards the exit. "Yeah, but if we get there early, we'll have time for a soda, just you and me." He slapped Cam lightly between the shoulder blades. "My treat. Unless soda makes you break out, or whatever other excuse you'd like to use so you won't have to be alone with me…"

"I don't mind being alone with you." The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them and Cam mentally slapped himself for the slipup. _That didn't come out right…_

Shane regarded him sideways and the ineffable look was back on the Air ninja's face, a mixture of wariness and delight. Or _hopefulness_ maybe. Cam desperately wished he knew how his own face looked at this very moment, what Shane could possibly be seeing, whether the younger boy noticed the mirror of his own emotions on Cam's face…

Whatever it was, it stayed on Shane's face longer than expected, for the Air ninja held Cam's gaze just a little longer than necessary before his expression turned carefully blank again.

As they trotted up the stone stairs, Cam forced himself to relax. _I'm reading way too much into this,_ he mentally rebuked himself. _We're only going for a soda, after all._

The forced lax attitude, however, was shattered with his next thought.

_Maybe the others will be late…who knows? Real late…_

_**THE END**_

_A/N: All right, so this was pretty lame. Just pretend it could have happened…_


	6. The Invitation

**The Invitation  
****By Dany  
****PG-13**

Summary: Continuation of "Love, interrupted". Dustin asks Shane out on a formal date, for he has something to say...

There he is! Right after I round the corner I spot him sitting on the low wall next to the half-pipe at the skate park, just where I thought he was going to be. Damn, he's so _fine!_

He's dressed in red, as usual. One bent leg up on the wall, his black and red Air Jordan's tapping to the beat of the boombox that's blaring out some hip hop song a few feet away. His board is propped against the wall and his helmet is sitting next to him. He's still wearing his elbow pads, so he must have just come off the ramp not too long ago.

The palms of my hands are clammy; now that I'm here, my resolve wavers. Should I really do this? _Yes,_ I need to do this, but I'll just hang back for a moment to calm my racing heart...

I retreat a few steps until I'm half in the shadows of the smaller one of the two skate ramps. From there I just watch him. I still can't believe it sometimes how lucky I was that he didn't just up and slug me when I told him about my feelings for him a few months ago. And then, about two weeks back, when he tackled me in Kelly's storeroom and kissed me…Man, I've been on cloud nine ever since and I haven't come down yet. Don't want to come down any time soon, either.

The dude sitting next to Shane is tossing a remark at him, pointing towards the ramp. Shane turns his head slightly, says something back, pointing as well. Then they both laugh. Clearly they're making fun of some other skater.

He's so at ease, so carefree, it's hard to imagine sometimes that he is the Red Ranger, our leader, always on the frontlines to save the people of this town - and sometimes of this entire planet - from Lothor's evil plans. I'm just hoping that Lothor will take Saturday off from throwing the world into chaos, because I've already made other plans for us...

My hand goes into my jacket pocket, fingering the envelope there, the reason for my clammy hands and racing heart. _God,_ I hope he'll say yes!

I continue to watch Shane while he's watching the other skaters on the ramp. My eyes travel over his body, to his face, his lips, remembering where those lips had been just last night...and I try not to sigh in bliss.

He's a darn good kisser. I guess I am, too, for he has told me so just the other day. I couldn't help but tease him, though – telling him that it would still take years of in-depth research before I can be thoroughly convinced of the exact level of his expertise in that matter. He had peered at me with that perplexed look in his eyes that just about everyone gets when they hear me use non-monosyllabic words _- that airhead reputation does precede me _- but then he had laughed and assured me that I may conduct as many experiments as I like on his mouth and lips – and other places. And I _do_ want to get to those other places!

Well, actually, I did. Granted, we were both pretty damn clumsy at first, but that doesn't mean that it wasn't every ounce as awesome as I had dreamed it would be. And we're getting better; in two weeks of enthusiastic practice, we've expanded our horizons in that matter quite a bit.

I know that, eventually, there'll be time for lube and condoms, but not yet. Heck, we've only made it past First Base so far and I'm not even sure how to handle Second Base once the time comes around for that. And it will come soon. Real soon.

I mean, I have some good ideas – there are gay website out there that are quite graphic and informative, after all. Having my own computer in my room and a father who forgot to enable the parental controls when he set it up for me really helped there.

Okay, I seriously need to be thinking about something else right now, because my pants are suddenly getting really tight…

I start towards the wall where he's sitting, anxious to pull him away from his poser-buddies. High time for some quality time alone, just him and me!

I take care to keep my face blank, for we have agreed not to tip anyone off about us yet. I haven't gone half a dozen steps when his head turns towards me. He's developing a Dustin radar. Not that I mind…

His expression is as casual as mine, but his beautiful eyes sparkle as I come closer. We go through our head-nodding and palm-slapping procedure and I rap knuckles with 'what's-his-name' next to him.

We only make the most necessary of small-talks before he grabs his board and backpack and gives his fellow skater some bull about me having to help him work on a math homework problem. I heartily support the lie, even though the only problem I want to work on is getting him out of these pants in under ten seconds.

We stroll out of the park and start walking aimlessly, knowing that sooner or later we'll end up at either his or my house – we always do. We chit-chat about school and Ranger stuff. He chuckles at the funny anecdote I tell him about my English teacher and that smile looks so good on him that I have to hold myself back from kissing him right here in the middle of the sidewalk.

But kissing can wait, the other thing…that can't. I stop walking. "Uhm, Shane, listen, dude…"

He stops as well, looking at me with a quizzical expression.

I pull the envelope out of my jacket pocket. "I got these tickets…There's this Broadway musical and it's gotten awesome reviews…It's on tour in Cali right now and it's playing at the Harbor Theater Saturday afternoon."

"You mean musical as in… '_Cats_'? '_My Fair Lady_', that kinda thing? " His eyebrows arch and suddenly there's wariness in his eyes. Clearly, he doesn't want to be caught dead going to one of those plays. I can't help but laugh at his expression.

"No, dude, it's called 'We Will Rock You' and it's…well, it's a rock musical." I show him the tickets. "The music's from Queen and there's all kinds of action going on. They even have a skateboard guy."

That must've bowled him over, for the look in his eyes relaxes and he takes a closer look at the tickets while I blabber on.

"It's a matinee, so I thought maybe we could make a real date out of it and go out to dinner afterwards. I was thinking Red Lobster or maybe Applebees…"

"Do I have to wear a tie?" The wary look's back with a vengeance.

I roll my eyes and grin. "No, dude, but maybe something with a collar…and do you have any slacks that actually have creases in it?"

"What are creases?"

I roll my eyes again, this time in exasperation, and open my mouth to explain, but he laughs and cuts me off.

"Dude, I'm kiddin', okay? I have a pair." He looks into my eyes, suddenly serious. "And, yes, I'd love to go to the show with you. And to dinner afterwards."

_Thank you, Freddy Mercury!_

I mentally pump my fist in the air. _YES!_ I was hoping he wouldn't let me down, for I have a little agenda of my own; something I want to tell him either during or after dinner.

These past two weeks together have been great, and during that time something has become very clear to me; I've been scared of telling him so far, but Saturday will mark the date when I will swallow my fear, go out on a limb…and tell him.

Three little words that I haven't said out loud so far, but have thought about so often that it now hurts to keep them inside any longer.

I don't know how he's going to react; maybe I'm making this into something much bigger than it actually is, maybe it really isn't such a big deal for people to say this nowadays – but it is for me.

I mean, I'm laying my heart bare here, after all. It's dangerous for me, because it's a gesture of trust I've never made to anyone else before and even though he's my best friend, _and more now,_ it's still a somewhat scary step to take. But one I desperately want to take.

I just hope I don't scare him away with that. Guess I'll just have to wait and see.

I bump his shoulder with mine, grin at him and say a very Dustin-like, "Cool, dude."

We continue walking, now talking about the show.

Saturday afternoon. Seventy-one hours from now.

I can still wait that long.

**THE END**


	7. Atmosphere

A/N: Challenge ficlet for the Power Rangers Slash Write community on LiveJournal. Can be seen as a sequel to "Third Base" (see my bio for the link) or a stand-alone. This is Shane/Dustin slash! Consider yourself warned - if this is not your thing, do not continue reading this.

* * *

Atmosphere  
By Dany  
Rated R 

It was the rain that woke Shane. Not the bright flashes of lightning or the faint rumble of thunder in the distance, but the sounds of fat raindrops hitting his window. They increased in volume and intensity even as he blinked and lifted his head a few inches off the pillow. The red LED display on his alarm clock showed 11.49pm and Shane grinned; nothing like a nice, wet midnight thunderstorm. _At last!_

It had been an unusually hot and dry summer and over the past few days there had been some pitiful _dry_ thunderstorms. Meteorologists on TV had said that it was all leading up to one big storm and looking towards his window now Shane was happy to see that the Big One had finally arrived. He would have loved to slip out of the bed, open his window all the way and just soak up the atmosphere, but the body currently half-draped over him made moving pretty much impossible.

Shane smiled down at the dark head; Dustin hadn't stirred a limb yet. The guy could sleep through a plane crash next door. For a moment, Shane toyed with the idea of waking him, but his partner looked so relaxed and comfortable, his head nestled in the crook of Shane's shoulder, an arm slung across his chest and a leg draped over his thigh. Shane moved his head a little to gaze down into Dustin's face and as if on cue, a flash of lightning illuminated the room just long enough for a quick look into that familiar and beautiful countenance of his best friend and lover.

_Lover._ Even after three months together, Shane sometimes still had trouble wrapping his mind around that word. But lovers they were, minds, bodies and souls. They couldn't get together quite as often as they would like to without arousing suspicions from their team members and families, but whenever they did, they made the best out of their quality time. Like tonight.

The rumble of thunder was getting closer and the subsequent lightning made the shadows dance on the ceiling of his room. Dustin merely let out a faint sigh and snuggled tighter into Shane's side. Shane lifted his arm and lightly stroked his fingers over and through the Earth ninja's curls. Tonight had been a close call, the closest yet.

Maybe it had been the fact that they had the house to themselves or maybe it had been the music and candles or because they had both been more horny than usual…he had no idea. They had been naked and on his bed in record time, mouths locked, tongues warring, fingertips gliding over smooth skin. Soon they were grinding their hips against each other, their hands going from gliding to groping and stroking and somehow it had all ended up with Dustin on his back, legs splayed and Shane on top of him. The desire in Dustin's eyes was so obvious, his tousled hair and flushed cheeks, lips moving in a silent plea and with a start Shane realized that he was poised right at Dustin's entrance and that this could be the moment…

These past few months they had done pretty much all they could with each other without going all the way. But tonight, right there and then, Shane saw the willingness and the trust in Dustin's eyes and all he had to do was reach out towards his nightstand drawer where the lube and unopened pack of condoms were, and God, he wanted this, wanted Dustin so much, had been dreaming about this for weeks…

But something, the by now familiar fear, had held him back once again. Fear of taking that final and irrevocable step, for once he went there, once he was inside Dustin, there was no going back. And Shane knew he was scared, scared of hurting Dustin.

Not so much physically; there were ways to prepare to keep that first pain down to a minimum. No, it was more of a mental fear stemming from the realization of the huge commitment that came with that final step of taking each other's virginities.

So with an enormous effort he fought the primeval urge of simply pushing forward and instead pulled back, panting and trying not to grimace at the disappointed look that flashed across Dustin's face.

They had not talked about it; at least not there and then. There were still two raging hard-ons still to take care of, after all. And so they had reached for one another and taken each other over the edge with hands and mouths instead.

Dustin was out pretty quickly afterwards, but Shane had lain awake, holding him in his arms while his mind went back to that particular moment. _What about next time? Could he hold himself back again? Did he want to? Did Dustin want him to? Not from the look on his face today…_

The decorative palm tree in the backyard outside of his window swayed with a sudden gust of wind and the rain was beginning to turn into a real downpour, pummeling the windowsill, the roof, the side of the house. The smell of ozone was getting heavier throughout the room and Shane took as deep a breath as he dared with Dustin's head still pressing against his chest. Briefly he wondered what his team mates were doing right now; whether Blake and Hunter were awake and soaking up their elements and whether Tori was out and walking in the rain…

Dustin's fingers across his stomach twitched, his head moved and Shane watched his lover's eyes flutter open. Dustin gave him a sleepy smile and Shane pressed a kiss against this temple. Dustin's gaze went towards the window and after listening for a moment he simply said, "Mmmm, rain. 'bout time," rolled over onto his other side and pulled Shane's arm with him. Shane settled himself into his new position spooned up against Dustin's back and closed his eyes once more as another flash of lightning cut through the darkness. Wherever the others were and whatever they were doing, no thunderstorm – nothing short of the impending end of the world – was going to get him out of this bed and out of Dustin's arms tonight. Because that was exactly where he belonged.

The End


	8. Jury Duty

_A/N: Jury duty was the theme of a challenge in the crimsongreen community at Livejournal. Thought I might as well post it here, too :)_

JURY DUTY  
By Dany  
PG-13

"Jury duty!" was Hunter's greeting as he bounded into the command center, waving a sheet of paper before him. "JURY DUTY, Cam!"

The Green Ranger swiveled around in his chair and fixed his boyfriend with a surprised look which Hunter apparently interpreted correctly.

"Yeah, that's exactly how I looked, too, when I saw that letter. I mean, for crying out loud! I was raised in an ultra-secret ninja academy in the middle of practically nowhere. I officially don't even exist, yet a week after my eighteenth birthday I get a jury duty summons in my PO box? Explain that to me, will ya!"

Cam's surprised look changed to one of amusement. "Maybe you should call the court house with a really bad Swedish accent and tell them you're not an American citizen?"

"Very funny."

"Or tell them you're too busy saving Earth from Lothor and his minions on a near-daily basis."

"I am tempted to do just that," Hunter grumbled.

Cam leaned back in his chair and linked his fingers behind his head, indulging in the sight of the lanky blond Thunder ninja rounding the command table.

"I wouldn't worry about it, Hunter. It's not like they can trace your whereabouts and send a SWAT team to Ninja Ops to detain you for failing to uphold your civic duty."

"Yeah, but I also don't want an arrest warrant floating around out there with my name on it." Hunter stared at the piece of paper again. "_Civic duty_. I do that duty every day by kicking all kinds of hostile alien butt off this planet."

Cam sympathized; he cast a thoughtful look at the Supercomputer for a long moment, then held out his hand for the letter. "Here, let me see that. I'm pretty sure I can get into the court house's files and delete your summons. It's about time I put the skills I learned at 'Computer Hacking 101' in college to work."

At Hunter's momentarily perplexed look he added, "That was a joke, Hunter."

Hunter handed over the paper. "Whatever, genius. As long as you can take care of that for me."

Cam took the letter and without looking up from reading over it, he said, "This is going to cost you, though."

He didn't have to look at Hunter's face; he could hear the mirth in the Crimson Ranger's voice. "Really? And what kind of compensation are we talking about here?"

When he did look up, the mischievous sparkle in his partner's blue eyes was clearly visible. He grinned. "We can discuss those terms later on tonight in my room."

Hunter bent down, placed his hands on the armrests of Cam's chair and leaned in close. "Well, here's a first installment," he said before he closed his lips over Cam's.

THE END


End file.
